Top 5 Things to Know About New Deputy SG Sri Srinivasan

By Robyn Hagan Cain on August 30, 2011 12:04 PM

Here at FindLaw, we understand the pressures of being a legal professional - most of us are recovering lawyers - so we want to help by tossing you that preferred life preserver of the legal profession, the short list.

Today's offering: Top five things to know about the Solicitor General's number two, newly-appointed Principal Deputy Solicitor General Sri Srinivasan.

No stranger to the Supreme Court. After working as a Bristow Fellow and clerking for Justice Sandra Day O'Connor and Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson III of the Fourth Circuit, Srinivasan spent four years at O'Melveny and Myers before serving as assistant to the Solicitor General from 2002 to 2007. In 2004, Srinivasan had a minor gaffe in the Supreme Court, referring to Justice David Souter as Justice Antonin Scalia. When he apologized, Justice Souter quipped, "Thank you, but apologize to him."

The LD on the C.V. Srinivasan is a true blue, or rather, red, Stanford University Cardinal through and through; he received his AB, MBA, and JD from the prestigious university in Palo Alto, California. Srinivasan will be leaving his job as a partner in O'Melveny's D.C. office, where he is chair of the firm's Appellate and Supreme Court Practice, to return to the Solicitor General's office.

On the record. Srinivasan has argued 17 cases before the Supreme Court, including five cases in the past three Terms. Srinivasan's recent wins before The Nine include Hertz Corp. v. Friend and Skilling v. US in the 2009 Term; Watters v. Wachovia Bank in the 2007 Term; and Wachovia Bank v. Schmidt in the 2006 Term.

The company you keep. Srinivasan was rumored in 2010 to be a White House pick for one of two vacancies on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. And why didn't he get the nomination? Rumor has it that liberals were concerned about union animosity toward Srinivasan's clients. The left wasn't crazy about Srinivasan's record in the Solicitor General's office either: Srinivasan advocated Bush-era, Guantanamo-war-on-terror detainee policies, reports The National Review.

Who is number one? None other than Donald B. Verrilli, Jr. Verrilli was sworn in as the 46th Solicitor General of the United States on June 9, 2011. You may know Verrilli previously served as Deputy Counsel to President Obama and as an Associate Deputy Attorney General in the U.S. Department of Justice. Prior to his government service, he was a partner for many years in Jenner & Block, and co-chaired the firm's Supreme Court practice.

Considering that Sri Srinivasan's accomplishments could have easily warranted a Top 20 list, we're sure the latest feather in his cap means we'll be hearing a lot more from him. Perhaps this gig in the Solicitor General's office will yield a spot with the Supreme Court for Srinivasan like it did for former Solicitor General alum Justice Kagan?

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